"Ask a Homeless Person" is a new feature here on The Blog, where we ask our members a question and post their responses here. This week's question is:

What’s One Thing Everyone Should Know About NYC Homeless Shelters?

The security guards treat you like an inmate, as if you are in jail. —Salaam Ellis

They suck, they’re overcrowded internment camps for those criminalized for their poverty. —Harry

It’s a hostile environment. —M. Gonzalez

Sometimes when you’re eating your food in the shelter, you see it’s already started going bad. That can make you sick. —Marcus Moore

You’ve got a curfew at 10PM. You can’t bring in your own food. Case workers don’t help you. HRA police will fuck you up. —Ernest Fields

They are obsolete, unnecessary, a waste of taxpayers money, used only to make “non-profit” providers rich. The money wasted could rehabilitate, renovate, abandoned vacant building and house the citizens of New York City. —Kendall Jackman

They cost $3,500 monthly per individual—or more! —Althea

Shelters are nothing more than city-run concentration camps. The money wasted on city shelters could be better spent on real low cost housing! —Frank Clark

It’s militarized, just like the public schools, and security guards are very abusive of human rights. —Carlos Rivera

photos taken by Picture the Homeless members with cameras they smuggled in and smuggled out, at risk of being logged out and ending up on the street!